White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)

(119 views)
by Terry Costales

I was quite taken with this two foot tall, chicken-turkey-like bird. It's a ground dwelling native of eastern Africa.

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

(115 views)
by Terry Costales

While canoeing to a nearby lagoon, we happened upon a flock of little blue herons taking flight. I originally thought the white one was another species but later discovered it did belong in the flock because it was a juvenile little blue heron.

Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius)

(115 views)
by Terry Costales

My first day in the woods I heard woodpeckers but only glimpsed them from a distance. My second day was more successful and I saw several. Not close-up but close enough for a photo.

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)

(115 views)
by Terry Costales

Anhingas look a lot like cormorants. They differ in that they have straight not hooked bills, longer tails and necks, and have silver-white markings on their wings. This was a female. A male would have had a black neck.

Black Crowned Night Heron

(115 views)
by Terry Costales

It's breeding season again for the Night Herons and Snowy Egrets. Here is a Heron settling a property dispute with his Egret neighbor.

Anna's Hummingbird

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

Yesterday in Palo Alto was chilly and grey for the most part. Fortunately the sun came out once in a while and highlighted this wonderful little bird while it fed.

Rufous Motmot (Baryphthengus martii)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

The only motmot seen on this trip appeared just after dawn. The tree in which it was perched was a favorite of several species. Unfortunately, the motmot's gorgeous colors were not visible from this angle, but the unique tail feathers were.

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

These storks were nesting in a very tall tree inside of the Karlsruhe Zoo. I took this photo from partway up the hill in the center of the park.

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

Yesterday's posting showed storks nesting in a tree. Here is a photo showing storks nesting on top of a building that was in the Stuttgart Zoo.

Bar-headed Geese

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

There is a small flock of these beautiful geese living on the small lake inside the zoo. Bar-headed geese were featured in the nature documentary "Winged Migration" which I highly reccomend.

Crow

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

This is not my typical bird photo. I usually prefer a close-up that reveals identifying marks of the species. But sometimes, you just get a cool shot.

Western Gull Chick (Larus occidentalis)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

There is a large breeding colony of Western Gulls on the island which is fenced in for their protection. There were a couple of chicks near us and my husband was able to get their photo.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

Up close and personal with a curious ostrich.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

I have seen many black-crowned night herons but this was the first yellow-crowned I'd ever seen. They reside in Costa Rica year round.

Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

This was the first Toucan I saw in Costa Rica. A keel-billed or Fruit Loops Toucan.

Semiplumbeous Hawk (Leucopternis semiplumbeus)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

On my way breakfast I happened upon a hawk hunting near our room at the lodge. He had taken some small prey, yet he looked at me with little concern. A few seconds later he flew off. The word plumbeous means leaden, dull. The hawk is half grey thereby clearly earning its name.

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

There were many of these toucans in the forest surrounding the volcano. They traveled in small flocks and were easily seen and heard.

Roseate Spoonbill

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

I was focusing my attention on the spoonbill but good lord! Look at the length of the neck on that egret!

Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

When the Jacanas fly they display bright yellow patches on their wings. Despite there being so many of them, we never got a shot of one flying They are known for "walking on water", because their very long toes allow them to walk on floating vegetation. Unfortunately, the ones we saw were in the mud the whole time and so we never witnessed this behavior.

Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

The mangrove tour's pilot and guide were very supportive of our photographic efforts. This little bird either flew away as soon as the boat moved close, or hid invisibly in the bushes. Near the tours end, one bird thankfully stayed still long enough for me to get this photo.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

I saw this osprey dive into the river and come up with a fish. Unfortunately the image is not sharp because the boat was moving fast, the bird was far away and flying fast. I'm glad I at least got to see it.

Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

This juvenile was perched directly across the canal from the adult bird I posted on this blog yesterday.

Cormorant

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

This bird is resting on an urn placed next to a reflecting pool inside the Stuttgart Zoo. It isn't caged and flew in on its own. I witnessed many herons, storks and cormorants fly into various enclosures to take advantage of the plentiful food supply.

Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

These little birds were everywhere. They were always on the move, hopping, flitting, hanging upside down and really fun to watch.

Bufflehead

(114 views)
by Terry Costales

This is a photo of a female Bufflehead. She definitely has a quieter look than her handsome but flashy mate.